Hi everybody, I have been lurking on these forums for some time and after reading numerous threads have decided to go with the UDM Pro and stick with the unifi eco system. This is for home use (but need 3-4 v-lans for iot, guest, main pc’s, and security). For the last 2 days i have had an issue logging into my employers VPN. We were told that it was wan issue with Verizon nationwide. In doing a quick search, i found many instances where verizon was blocking VPN access. I was able to log in through a hotspot, non verizon until the main servers were switched on my employers end so that we could connect. I had been putting off the router/switch combo but now I think is time (too many ongoing projects). The main question I have is should I consider going to cable (xfinity) and drop fiber (fios) ? They would be the same price in my area for gigabit speed but I would also purchase my own modem for cable. I originally thought my main issue was the verizon router that i am using but now I am second guessing my issues. Thank you.
(Current setup, fios gigabit isp, fios router with wifi turned off, netgear managed switch and lyra mesh as an AP)
As long as the ISP supports bridge mode which will assign the public IP to your router the VPN should work. So without knowing exactly what the issue you are having is I am not sure what to suggest. Also if you have spent time in this forums or watching my videos, you already know the UniFi VPN is not great.
I’ve been with FiOS for about 6 weeks now love it. Dumped Cox because of price-performance issues. Was a 20-year customer of Cox but reached the end of discounts and my wits with speed issues. I had always had good service from Cox until this human malware took a toll on their network capacity. I started using pfsense back in September 2020 while I was with Cox. I tured my Asus Router into AP with 2 other Asus’s in a mesh wi-fi setup with all of my whole network behind the pfsense. It has been a learning curve with pfsense but well worth it. When I made the switch to FiOS I got a great deal with a free G3100 router (their latest). I put it in bridge mode in-front-of the pfsense at first while I got familiar with it. Started messing with it while everyone else was asleep. It took some time but I finally got to the point where I pulled the FiOS router out and connected the ONT directly to the pfsense. It is FAST! I’m getting 920 to 950mbps both up and down on all wired clients. Wireless clients on the 5gz AC connection get between 200-300mbps up and down over most of the house. I have lower end TP-link layer 2 16 port switch as a main switch with some other 8 port layer 2 and 5-8 port dumb switches all over the house. Setting up vlans for security. I even bought a MOCA adapter for the TV boxes that everybody said could only work with the FiOs router. I got it all working very well. So, to the point you DON’T have to use the FiOS router. If you take the time it can be done. It will be work but it has been worth it. I control all of it behind the ONT! That’s the way it should be. Verizon has become somewhat easier to do all of this with than it used to be. If you decide to go with pfsense or any other router/firewall you own (UDM Pro) it can be done. As for Xfinity, never been a customer, they are not offered in my area. My sister in Atlanta has them and I have helped her with her home network. I was not impressed with their home offerings. I don’t seem to have the VPN issues you mention. I have OpenVPN on the pfsense and Zerotier on a Synology NAS. Point to all of this? Stick with the FiOS it’s just faster and it should work with all of your equipment.
I would caution against going to cable, the upload speed is generally 1/10 download speed. That is until you get to “gigabit” service which for many customers in still only 10mbps upload! The 800-900mbps down would be nice, but the upload is truly shameful!
Yes I do talk about this often, hoping that the public shame will start to force cable companies to upgrade their plants. There has been no upgrading in my area since the late 1990’s when I was working there. A little fiber here, a little fiber there, but no real changes. I need to look at Starlink again and see if it is in my area, yes going to satellite would be better for me than staying with cable.
I would contact Verizon and see what they say, in the last year hundreds of thousands of people have had to go home and connect to work through a vpn, they need to fix or allow this to happen or it could become a legal issue. Get a large enough group of people with the same complaint and $100 for a lawyer and it could turn into a big mess.
I thank everyone for the fast reply’s. I guess the trade off in speed is not worth going to cable. I have had this issue happen to me on occasion. I am connecting to my employers vpn via cisco mobility. I am aware that the unifi products do not handle VPN well but I think i need to look into it more. When I was deciding on the hardware side, I was thinking VPN would not apply to me as I was not looking to log into my system remotely or using VPN 24/7, however i never thought about the work from home part (vpn) as I was going to put that laptop on its own vlan. I just reviewed some of the latest videos that were uploaded mainly the unifi alternatives one. I have similar concerns with future cloud based/license/subscription based business models as well . I am going to rethink about the udm pro again and think of an alternative to my 1 issue. I am still leaning towards it because of its eco system and one place to manage everything (mesh/AP’s and switches). If i were to go the netgate route, is there a way to control all settings via the netgate if I went with unifi switches and ap’s? I would assume I would have to adjust the settings on the switches and ap’s directly with their own login/software. Thanks again